brunch

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and Constellation Brands. All opinions are mine alone. The following content is intended for readers who are 21 or older. #CelebratorySips #CoronaSummer #CollectiveBias

Friends, summer is just around the corner. Are you as excited as I am? Just thinking of sitting out on the back deck soaking up the sunshine on a beautiful day and sipping on a beverage makes me happy.

This summer we’ll be staying close to home and hopefully having many moments like that. My husband is starting a new job, so he won’t be able to take much time off for a while. But that’s okay. Sometimes summers at home are some of the most memorable, and like they say, Saber Vivir (“knowing how to live”). Having friends and family over for BBQ’s, backyard campouts, and outdoor and/orboard games.

Hello! I hope all is well. It’s been a few days since I’ve said hello on here and so I thought I’d take the time to sit down and say hi – and share a little recipe too. This week I’ve helped some friends move, volunteered at the school, watched a few soccer games, and spent a little extra time with the family. We dug out all of our Halloween decorations and the kids carved pumpkins. We played some board games like Scrabble and baked bread together. After such a busy month in September I’m happy to have a slightly slower October.

Emma has already came up with her Halloween costume. She found an adorable black dress that works perfect for a witches dress and she’s going to wear it with boots and a hat. Noah is still indecive on what he will be, and Anika? Well, she’s so busy trying to figure out what to wear for the Halloween themed Homecoming dance this Friday that I doubt she’s even thought much about the actual holiday!

This next week we’ll begin filling our hundreds of trick or treat bags for all of the ghosts and goblins that will arrive on the 31st, and we’ll wrap up the soccer season. Next up: basketball and wrestling.

With the fall weather settling in I’m finding myself wanting to do more baking, so I thought I’d share a little recipe with you. I made these cheesy green onion scones for the first time back during the day of the solar eclipse in August (along with thisred onion jam).

Hey everyone! This month has been full of so many things going on personally in my life that I really didn’t even stop to think that we are in the month of March already…untill now…now that we are halfway through it!

We’ve had some really sad things happen as my sister unexpectedly lost her significant other whom she relied on. To put a long sad story short, she and my Father have been camping out in my living room for the past two weeks. It seems the older I get, the more I realize that the only thing constant in life is change. Imagine that.

With the added family in the house I’ve been getting a little (more) creative with dinners – incorporating leftovers and different ingredients that are available to me. I try to always keep staples in the house like potatoes, cheese, etc… and bacon – but that doesn’t seem to stay in the house for very long. 🙂

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #LeanCuisine #CollectiveBias

Life! It just doesn’t slow down, does it? I’ve said before that this year I plan on at least learning how to take more time for myself and how to manage the busy a little better than I did last year. I think a lot of that entails saying no to more things and planning ahead for busy weeks.

My schedule at my “other job” isn’t too bad. I only work 1/2 time – pretty much every other weekend and two days during one week which equals 5 shifts in a two-week period. What’s great is that I do all of my shifts in a 7 day period, which means I essentially work full-time one week, then have 7 days off in a row afterwards. One extra busy week, one slower week where I can focus more on the kid’s schedules and my writing.

Since I work evenings I need to plan ahead even more – prepping dinner for the family and food for myself. I’ll normally make a wrap or take something like LEAN CUISINE® Marketplace Vermont White Cheddar Mac & Cheese or a LEAN CUISINE® Marketplace Sesame Chicken to work with me for my lunch break. Lean Cuisine has some pretty tasty and bold dishes that have great flavor and no artificial preservatives. It’s great because I can keep them in the freezer at work until I’m ready to microwave them.

Who loves mimosas? Step them up a notch and create some cranberry rosemary mimosas at your next brunch or party! Made from scratch and delicious!

How was your holiday weekend? Mine was actually fabulous – I spent the entire day yesterday in my pajamas. I took a nap on the couch, watched the kids play with their new toys (and tried to dodge Legos all over the living room floor), played scrabble with Anika, and watched a few Christmas movies. I cooked Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, so that was on Christmas we could just relax and nibble onsnack plattersand leftovers from the night before. However, I did make one thing on Christmas. It was something I have never made before, and it was delicious: fresh cranberry rosemary mimosas.

This winter, why not create a new tradition and create a bacon bar? I’ve teamed up with Smithfield Bacon today to share some fun tips + a giveaway to win a year’s supply of bacon!

I love bacon. In my house we could eat bacon everyday! Bacon is versatile and can be used for breakfast, lunch, dinner, even dessert! I’ve made quite a few bacon recipes in my day and have heard of some unique ideas (I recently went to a holiday cookie party and tasted chocolate chip and bacon cookies!) I recently found something very inspiring though: a Bacon Bar on the Smithfield Bacon website. Smithfield Bacon has an inspiring website that has tons of yummy recipes and amazing ideas!

I honestly hadn’t thought of creating a Bacon Bar before but it sounds like an absolute genius idea to host during the holidays when all of your friends and family can gather together and appreciate the deliciousness and creativity at your Bacon Bar. I’m already in the planning stages of creating one myself and thought I’d share some tips and ideas with you!

This cran-cherry rosemary spread is a sponsored post brought to you by Graceland Fruit.

Yes. I used rosemary again this week. Is there anything better than tasty holiday flavors like cranberry and rosemary together? I grew my own herb barrel again this year, and while most of it is winding down, I still have rosemary and chives hanging in there so you bet I’m going to use as much fresh herbs as I can!

When most people think of holidays they think of sweet treats. I do too, but I what really gets me excited are all of the snack platters and tasty spreads. If I could snack my way through the holidays and not even eat a real meal I’d be happy.

I have made a rosemary spread or two before in the past, but not with both dried cranberries and cherries. The sweet and savory combination of this spread is amazing on crackers or could easily be used to make some festive crostinis – plus it’s really quick to make and will impress your friends. 😉

This shop and breakfast bites recipe has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ReimagineCereal #CollectiveBias

The school year is wrapping up quickly. Almost too quickly. I’ve found myself sort of scrambling over the last couple of days to prepare for summer vacation. I want us to have a relaxing summer, but know that we have to have it structured a little because both the kids and I thrive better that way.

One activity that keeps all of the kids happy is learning in the kitchen. Give them some thing to measure and mix in a bowl and they get excited. I think they all take after me there.

Last week I shared a little bit about aMother’s Day Brunch event I attended at the Whole Foods Market with bakery owner and Pastry Chef Jackie Kai Ellis. She showed us how to makeconfit orange. Today I wanted to share with you a delicious and fun brunch cocktail that I had hoped to share prior to Mother’s Day, but you know how things go… better late than never! You can sip on this fun brunch cocktail any Sunday – and if you needed another excuse did you know that this Friday, May 13th is World Cocktail Day? 🙂 Jackie created this delicious drink for us using that confit orange that will definitely impress your friends.

I’ve always been intrigued with the art of cocktail making, though I’ll admit I have no knowledge surrounding it – only a desire to learn more. I love learning little bits and pieces through the events I attend, and I am happy to share them on here with you.

I have been compensated by Glucerna for this post; however, I am sharing my own thoughts. All opinions are my own. Talk with your health care provider about a diabetes management plan that’s right for you. #GlucernaHungerSmart #CollectiveBias

I don’t know about you guys, but I really love brunch. I think it’s because it’s more than just a regular meal – it’s a special occasion meal that normally includes a get together or celebration. Brunch is about slowing down and enjoying good food and company. I know that I don’t host brunch often enough. One of the nice things about brunch is that it is easier to accommodate and incorporate foods that are diabetic friendly so that you can make a diabetic friendly brunch. Diabetes is a disease that millions of Americans live with daily and most of us all know somebody living with Diabetes.

As a nurse I’ve cared for many patients who are Diabetics and I know that sometimes it’s challenging to find foods that are okay to eat. With Diabetes you need to make sure you are on a low carbohydrate diet and have a high consumption of fresh vegetables and fruit – and you can make many brunch dishes that are easy and carbohydrate friendly because who doesn’t love fresh foods at brunch! Here are some diabetic friendly brunch ideas:

Hey! Thanks for stopping by! At Melissa Kaylene I believe that memories should be made daily and that you should always celebrate the little moments in life. I share a home in Oregon with my husband and three kids, Anika, Emma, and Noah. When I'm not busy creating content you'll find me working part time as a nurse and volunteering at the local grade school.